The present invention relates to a laminated dough preform, a method of making a baked product and the product made therefrom and, more particularly, to a laminated, crumb continuous, shelf stable cookie.
U.S. Letters Pat. No. 4,344,969 (Youngquist et al.) contains a discussion of the mechanisms which occur in crumb continuous cookies following the baking thereof and it, together with European Published Application, Ser. No. 31,718, filed Dec. 12, 1980, also contain a disclosure of a quantitative method for measuring the freshness and shelf stability of such cookies. Both the Letters Patent and published Application hypothesize that a freshly baked, crumb continuous cookie, as it leaves the oven, will have a dichotomy of textures. This is because the outer surfaces of the cookie will tend to include crystallized sugars, i.e. sucrose, which becomes crystallized due to the baking process and which imparts a generally crisp texture to the exterior surface of the cookie. Conversely, the center of such freshly baked cookies, however, will remain relatively soft and chewy, because the sucrose in the center of the cookie is still in a syrup, rather than crystalline form.
The aforementioned Letters Patent and Application further hypothesize that the reason that the freshness disappears in such freshly baked, crumb continuous cookies after a period of time is that the water in the syrups in the center of the cookie will ultimately tend to equilibrate throughout the cross-section of the cookie over a period of several days. Such equilibration results in the recrystallization of the sucrose in the cookie center and a loss of textural dichotomy over the cross-section of the cookie, even if the freshly baked cookies are stored in sealed containers.
Finally, the aforementioned Letters Patent and Application further observe that one approach which has been taken to overcome such loss of freshness is to form laminated dough structures in which a dough containing fructose or other crystallization resistant sugars is surrounded with a dough containing a typically readily crystallizable sugar. However, the Letters Patent observes that the latter approach necessitates the use of elaborate processing techniques to provide for the proper lamination of the two doughs. This is, in fact, a problem with the use of fructose containing laminates because doughs which contain sufficient amounts of fructose, fructose in combination with other sugars or high fructose corn syrup to remain chewy over extended shelf lives are generally sticky and difficult to work, handle and form, particularly in industrial processes. Moreover, it has been observed that such doughs exhibit poor crumb continuous structures and tend to collapse upon baking.
The Letters Patent says that it overcomes these disadvantage by forming a single dough mixture containing both sucrose and an enzyme. After this single dough is preformed into its cookie shape, it is first heated for a sufficient period of time and sufficient temperature to activate the enzyme in the center of the cookie, but to deactivate the enzyme in the exterior surfaces. It is then necessary to maintain this activated/deactivated product at a lower, but still elevated temperature, for a sufficient period of time to enable the activated enzyme to work upon the sucrose. After this working, the dough is finally baked to form the desired baked product which, after equilibrium is reached, is said to be crumb continuous, but retains a dichotomy of textures to simulate, after shelf storage, a freshly baked cookie.
The present invention realizes a substantial number of advantages over either the product or method which employ fructose, fructose in combination with other sugars or high fructose corn syrup to prevent loss of freshness, as well as over the single dough enzyme approach disclosed in the aforementioned Letters Patent. Moreover, proceeding in accordance with the principles of the present invention will result in a superior, crumb continuous, shelf stable product which exhibits all of the qualities of freshness which are desired in the product, as well as the quantitative physical properties as discussed in the aforementioned Letters Patent and published Application.
In the first instance, the present invention contemplates the formation of a laminate which may be baked into the final product. By forming the dough as a laminate, precise control of textural dichotomy is possible as compared to the single dough employed in the aforementioned Letters Patent. Moreover, contrary to the aforementioned single dough procedure, undue care need not be taken with respect to oven temperatures or time because selective activation and inactivation of enzymes is not relied upon in the present invention and precise control of outer crust rigidity is simplified due to the flexibility in over temperatures and baking time. Employment of laminates also enables precise control of the areas of the baked product which are influenced by the enzymes. The use of laminates also readily allows for different mixing procedures and formulations for the inner and outer layers of the product, thereby optimizing enzyme inversion rates and allowing varied sucrose and enzyme compositions and treatments, such as the use of a substantial portion of powdered sucrose in the dough containing the enzyme to increase the rate of inversion of the sucrose by the enzyme. Lamination as in the present invention also results in the ability to vary the flavoring between the interior and exterior of the product and additional ingredients, such as chocolate chips, may be restricted solely to the inner layer to reduce band smearing during the manufacture of the product. Still another advantage of using the lamination procedures of the present invention as opposed to the aforementioned single dough approach is that two different doughs of somewhat dissimilar rheological characteristics may be employed in the product facilitating versatility of the formulation and the use of differing ingredients to optimize or reduce the cost of attaining the final desired textural characteristics of the baked product.
Still another advantage of the present invention over the fructose, fructose and other sugars, or high fructose corn syrup laminates mentioned in the aforementioned Application, is that the use of such sugars or syrups may be substantially reduced or eliminated altogether in the prebaking, dough handling and forming stages along with disadvantages of sticky doughs and processing difficulties arising therefrom.
Still another advantage of the present invention over the aforementioned single dough approach is that multiple ovens and holding sequences which are necessary in the single dough approach are avoided, substantially simplifying processing and reducing the capital equipment requirements which are admittedly necessary in the single dough approach. In the present invention, enzyme activity is capable of precise time and temperature control and a separate heating step is not needed to inactivate the enzymes in the exterior or activate them in the interior of the dough. Moreover, in the present invention, the enzymes are preferably active prior to entry of the product into the oven for final baking and they are capable of working sufficiently by the time that the baking process is complete to invert in situ the amount of sucrose needed to substantially prevent recrystallization of the sucrose following baking without separate heating or holding steps. Thus, elaborate buffer and leavening agents as disclosed in the aforementioned single dough process are unnecessary. Degradation of fructose or other non-readily crystalizable sugars during the baking process and loss of taste quality are also avoided when practicing the principles of the present invention.
Still another advantage of the present invention is a superior quality of fine crumb in the inner layer of the product which is achieved through the use of a substantial portion of powdered sucrose, instead of granulated sucrose, in the inner layer. In addition to superior crumb, the powdered sucrose also substantially increases the quality of the product and the rate of inversion of the sucrose, thereby substantially eliminating the need for preheating and interim holding of the product and the additional time and capital equipment for achieving these steps.
In one principal aspect of the present invention, a laminated dough preform comprises first and second premixed dough layers containing ingredients which, when baked, result in a substantially crumb continuous laminate over its cross-section. The first premixed dough layer also contains sucrose which readily crystallizes when the laminated dough preform is baked such that the first layer has a substantially crisp texture. The second premixed dough layer contains sucrose and also an enzyme which is active with the sucrose in the second dough layer to invert an amount of said sucrose sufficient to substantially prevent the recrystallization of the sucrose in the second layer when the laminated dough preform is baked and reaches textural equilibrium such that the second layer has a shelf stable, substantially chewy texture relative to the first layer.
In another principal aspect of the present invention, a premixed dough preform contains sucrose, a substantial portion of which is powdered. The dough also contains an enzyme which is active with the sucrose to invert an amount of the sucrose sufficient to substantially prevent the recrystallization of the sucrose when the dough is baked and reaches equilibrium such that the dough, when baked, has a shelf stable, substantially chewy texture.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, a method of making a sweetened product comprises premixing of first and second doughs. The premixed first dough contains sucrose which readily crystallizes when the first dough is baked so as to produce a substantially crisp texture. The premixed second dough is capable of forming a crumb continuous laminate with the first dough over the cross-section of the laminate when the laminate is baked. The second dough includes sucrose and also contains an enzyme which is active with the sucrose in the second dough to invert an amount of the sucrose which is sufficient to substantially prevent the recrystallization of the sucrose in the second dough when the second dough is baked and reaches textural equilibrium so as to produce a substantially chewy, shelf stable texture. The first and second doughs are applied to each other to form a laminated dough structure thereof.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, a baked product is formed by baking the aforementioned laminated dough structure.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the aforementioned enzyme is invertase.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the sucrose in the dough which contains the enzyme includes a substantial portion of which is powdered sucrose.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become evident upon consideration of the following detailed description.